Engine governor control valve



Sept. 19, 1961 E. R. LARGES 3,000,388

ENGINE GOVERNOR CONTROL VALVE Filed June 11, 1956 I2 FIGJ. /|o

42 68 O o 0 4o 72 7o 76 f -4s 500 p l INVENTOR.

ERNEST R.LARGES United StatesPatent 3,000,388 ENGINE GOVERNOR CONTROL VALVE Ernest R. Larges, Southfield Township, Oakland County, Mich., assignor to Holley Carburetor Company, Van Dyke, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed June 11, 1956, Ser. No. 590,456 1 Claim. (Cl. 137-56) The present invention relates to an engine governor control valve.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved and simplified control valve for an engine speed governor.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control valve in the form of a tubular transfer shaft adapted to have its interior connected to a fluid motor, a port adjacent one end of said transfer shaft, means for rotating the shaft about an axis perpendicular thereto and located intermediate the ends thereof, a valve in the form of an annular weight slidable on said transfer shaft, and spring means opposing radially outward movement of the valve in closing relation to said port.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the mechanism with which the governor control valve is associated.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the control valve.

In FIGURE 1 there is illustrated at a carburetor having an air cleaner 12, a pair of venturis at 14, and throttle plates 16. The throttle plates 16 are mounted on a shaft 18 which includes operating crank mechanism indicated generally at 20 adapted to be actuated by a rod 22 connected to a flexible diaphragm 24 located within a housing 26. As illustrated, the underside of the diaphragm 24 is subjected to reduced pressure through a first passage 28 leading to the throat of the venturi and a second passage 30 located downstream from the throttle plates, these passages having flow restrictions 32 therein. Both of these passages communicate with a passage 34 leading to a chamber 36 at the underside of the diaphragm. Atmospheric air is admitted to the interior of the housing 26 above the diaphragm 24( In order to control forced closing of the throttle plates 16, a valve controlled bleed connection indicated generally at 38 is provided. This bleed connection draws filtered air from the air cleaner through a passage 40 which connects to a fitting 42 at the side of the governor distributor housing 44 and thus supplies filtered air at substantially atmospheric pressure to the interior of the housing. It will of course be understood that a suitable cover is provided for the housing which substantially prevents entrance of unfiltered air therein. Centrifugal means are provided operating the governor valve mechanism within the housing. When the bleed valve is open, air is bled into the passage 38 and hence prevents the vacuum connections 28 and 30 from being effective to draw the diaphragm downwardly against spring action in throttle closing relation. When the valve is closed however, the vacuum connections quickly draw the diaphragm 24 down and operate to move the throttle toward closed position so as to prevent operation above a predetermined set speed.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURE 2, the valve mechanism comprises a drive shaft 46 having a centrally located axially extending fluid passage 48 communicating by a short passage 50 with an annular chamber 52 connected by an inclined passage 54 with a fitting 56 to which the means forming the passage 38 is connected. The shaft 46 in the particular embodiment illustrated comprises a lower section 50a and an upper section 50b, but so far as the present invention is concerned, the shaft might be of unitary construction. Extending in a direction perpendicular to the shaft and intersecting the fluid passage 48 is a transverse opening 60. Received in the transverse opening 60 is an elongated tubular transfer shaft 62, one end of the shaft being relatively heavy as indicated at 64. The transfer shaft extends through the opening 60 and closes the fluid passage 48. .The transfer shaft is provided with a port 66 afiording communication between the passage 48 and the hollow interior of the transfer passage 69. The other end of the transfer shaft is solid and is threaded and receives an adjustable spring seat 68. Mounted in slidable relation on the transfer shaft is an annular member 70 forming a centrifugal weight and also a valve element. One or more ports 72 adjacent the end of the transfer shaft carrying the member 70 are provided. Intermediate the member 70 and the adjustable spring seat 68 is a coil compression spring 74. The transfer shaft 64 is provided with the longitudinally extending opening 76 which extends from one end of the shaft to a point adjacent the other end. The open end of the opening is closed by a plug 78.

The stem or transfer shaft 62 is made from stock material, as an example, S.A.E. 51440A stainless steel, into a tubular or cylindrical member by initially machining the stock material to various thicknesses to provide a pair of external sections separated by an intermediate section 59 which engages the transverse opening 60 when in an assembled position with the drive shaft 46. The heavy end 64 has the largest diameter and is reduced in diameter to provide the intermediate section with a cylindrical shoulder 61. The intermediate section 59 is reduced in diameter to provide the other end of the shaft 62 with a shoulder 63 which is flush with the outer surface of the upper section 5% of the drive shaft 46. The internal passage 76 is bored in the tubular transfer shaft 62 from the heavy end 64 to a point adjacent to the opposite solid threaded end which has the adjustable spring seat 68 thereon. In assembling the two sections 50a and 50b of the shaft 46, the cross opening 60 is provided extending radially through both sections of the shaft 46. The tubular transfer shaft 62 is press fit sothat the intermediate section 59 engages the cross opening 60 with the shoulder 61 engaging the outer periphery of the upper section 50b. The shaft 62 holds the sections 50a and 50b together as a unit. The shoulder 61 serves as a locating abutment and insures proper distribution of the weighted shaft relative to the drive shaft when assembling. The annular member 70 is normally biased in a direction to engage the upper section 59b and the shoulder 63.

In operation it will be observed that the drive shaft 46, which is adapted to be connected to a rotating part such as the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, rotates the transfer shaft 62 about an intermediate axis and thus develops centrifugal forces tending to shift the con1- biued centrifugal weight of valve member 70 radially outwardly against the opposing force of the coil compression spring 74. At a predetermined speed the valve will begin to close ofi the ports 72 and prevents the bleeding of air into the throttle control system.

It will be observed that during operation below governed speed, cleaned air is drawn into the distributor housing and is admitted into the carburetor at the throat of the venturi and at a point just downstream from the throttle plate.

The drawings and the foregoing specification constitute a description of the improved engine governor control valve in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claim.

What I claim as my invention is:

A speed responsive governor control valve comprising a tubular drive shaft adapted to be operated at a speed dependent on vehicle operation, saiddrive shaft'including an axially extending first-passage therein, a cross opening extending diametrically across said drive shaft, a cross shaft of approximately UlllfODIllOIltSlCl diameter :fixed in said cross opening insealing relationship therewith, said cross shaft having a second passage therein of uniform diameter which extends from one-end to a point adjacent to, but spaced from, the opposite end leaving the portion adjacent said opposite end solid and integrally closed, the intermediate portion of said cross shaft received in the cross opening in said drive shaft and the end portion of said cross shaft adjacent theclosed end thereof having the outside diameter thereofslightly reduced to form a narrow annular locating shoulder engaging said drive shaft to provide accurate location of said cross shaft and structure carried thereby, a first port in said cross shaft connecting said first and second passages, a second port adjacent the integrally closed end of said cross shaft communicating with the atmosphere, a separate closure element within said second passage adjacent the open end thereof for closing same, a tubular valve slidable over said cross shaft adjacent said second port, an adjustable spring seat threaded on the solid integrally closed end portion of said cross shaft, said seat providing an adjustment "for calibration of governed speed, and a compression spring between said seat and valve for holding said valve in a normally open position until the predetermined governed speed has been attained, said valve being movable by centrifugal force radially of said shaft .across said second port-against the action of said spring to close said second port.

References Cited in'the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 160,572 Chase Mar. 9, 1875 442,462 Sharples Dec. 9, 1890 1,285,998 Hick Nov. 26, 1918 2,664,867 Hartzell Jan. 5, 1954 

